Beauty Buzz: Urban Decay store to open in Jo’burg

The biggest news on the beauty blogosphere this past week was the announcement of Urban Decay’s arrival on SA shores with the opening of a new store.

The first time I stepped into a Sephora was a little over a year ago during a trip to Paris. As I entered, I could practically hear a chorus of angels singing as I took the escalator down off the Rue de Rivoli and alighted in the middle of what can only be described as beauty girl’s heaven. In spite of the tantalising array of make-up before me, I was a girl on a mission! I’d come all the way to Paris – there was no way I was leaving without an Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette.

The Naked palettes are renowned as something of a Holy Grail among those in the beauty industry – just with a lot less lore and a lot more fact. Don’t be fooled, these babies are coveted around the world for good reason. They’re not only perfectly blendable and glide on with a buttery feel, but they also offer such a divine selection of colours that you can go from day to night to morning after with ease. They make getting that smokey eye a thing of simplicity, instead of something only achievable through hours of YouTube tutorials.

Urban Decay products have been available in SA for a while though, through a couple of local stockists, but the prices have often put them well out of the range of your average make-up addict, going for anywhere from R1 200 up to R2 000. My Naked 3 palette from Paris? Just under R700. It was worth the trip!

This week, make-up junkies all over SA rejoiced at the news that a new store will be opening mid-May in Johannesburg. Rumours of the brand’s arrival have been doing the rounds for a few years now, but the announcement comes straight from the PR team at L’Oreal Luxe so I’m 100% confident that this time it’s for real. Details are scarce, but I’m pretty sure that the minute I stroll through those stores, it’ll be just like being back in Paris. Oooh la la!

Personally, I can’t wait to try out a few more items from the brand – especially the Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Naked Skin Liquid Makeup and I’ll probably grab at least one more of the eyeshadow palettes. I’ve kept a close eye on the Smoky palette since it launched and I’m pretty sure it’ll be the perfect complement to my current eyeshadow palette stash.